TORONTO Oct 30 (Reuters) - Goldcorp Inc said on
Thursday it expected "very strong" fourth-quarter production
after its third-quarter earnings and output fell short of market
expectations, pushing its stock down to a six-year low.

Goldcorp, the world's biggest gold company by market value,
repeated that its 2014 production will come in at the low end of
its forecast of 2.95 million to 3 million ounces.

"The production is delayed rather than lost. So, as has been
the case for us in prior years, because we are growing
production. We expect a very strong fourth-quarter finish,"
Goldcorp Chief Executive Officer Chuck Jeannes said on a
conference call.

Part of the reason for lower third-quarter output was the
planned processing of low-grade stockpiled ore at Goldcorp's
Penasquito mine in Mexico, Jeannes said. But that was just a
temporary blip as the company got back to higher-grade material,
he added.

Goldcorp in January unveiled a rejigged mine plan for
Penasquito to focus on higher-grade ore. Investors are demanding
that miners focus on profits over production in the face of a
gold price that has fallen by a third in three years.

While Goldcorp's total production rose to 651,700 ounces of
gold in the third quarter, from 637,100 ounces a year earlier,
lagging market expectations.

TD Securities analyst Greg Barnes said production missed his
estimate of 761,000 ounces and that Goldcorp's 2014 forecast
"looks like a stretch."
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